This invention relates to a device for lifting and transporting bed ridden patients which is operable to move the patient from the lying position within the bed to a seated position in which the patient can be transported for toileting or transferring to a chair.
Many different devices have been proposed for transferring patients from the bed situation to a seating position for toileting or transfer to a chair and one example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,123 of Henderson. In this device there is provided a base frame on which the device can roll across the floor with a single vertical post on which a patient support assembly can be raised and lowered. The patient support assembly includes a seat back portion and a seat bottom portion which are relatively hinged and moveable from a first horizontal position to an inclined seating position.
The device is somewhat difficult to push and maneuver due to the general configuration of the arrangement and due to the relatively large size necessary for the base to maintain stability of the patient over the base.
Presently available on the marketplace are also different designs of lifting device but in most cases these comprise effectively a crane arrangement with an overhead boom on which is suspended a sling of a fabric material. These arrangements are disadvantageous in that the patient is effectively suspended and hence feel insecure due to the relatively large amount of movement which can occur by pivotal action about the end of the boom. The use of the sling which is necessary for lifting a patient in this way can cause squeezing or compression of the patient as the fabric wraps around the patient and the forces are applied to the sides of the patient. This can be uncomfortable or painful for arthritic patients or patients with damaged bone structures. Furthermore the overhead boom and the pivotal action require a very large and widely spaced base frame to maintain stability. The large base significantly reduces maneuverability and hence the large base is difficult to enter limited areas and since it is difficult to rotate the large base due to the wide spacing of the wheels.
Other devices for transferring a patient from a lying position to its seated position comprise effectively collapsible wheelchairs but these have achieved little success in the marketplace due to their complexity and due to the fact that they require the patient to be rotated on the bed to a position transverse to the bed before the device can be moved into position. This type of movement is very difficult in comparison with the arrangement in which the patient is simply rolled side to side.